Brad Lincoln Information & Brad Lincoln Links at HealthHaven.com

**Brad Lincoln**
Brad Lincoln
	Pittsburgh Pirates
	Pitcher
	Born: May 25, 1985 (age 24); Lake Jackson, Texas
Bats: Left	Throws: Right

Bradley Eric Lincoln (born May 25, 1985 in Lake Jackson, Texas) is a professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher who bats from the left side, he is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

[edit] Amateur career

Lincoln played baseball for Brazoswood High School of Clute, Texas, though he was also a quarterback for the football team, and did not concentrate exclusively on baseball until after his sophomore year.^[1] After his senior season, the Texas Rangers selected him in the 28th round of the 2003 draft, but he elected to attend college rather than turning pro at that time. He matriculated at the University of Houston, where he built on a strong year in the Cape Cod League in 2005^[1] to emerge as a top-level talent during his junior season in 2006. He posted a 12-2 won-lost record and a 1.69 ERA, with 152 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings pitched, and also excelled with the bat, achieving a .295 batting average with 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBI.^[2] At the end of the season, he was recognized as Conference USA Player of the Year, and he won several major national awards, including the Dick Howser Trophy^[3] and the Brooks Wallace Award^[2]. He was also one of four finalists for the Roger Clemens Award, but lost out to Andrew Miller of the University of North Carolina.^[4]

[edit] Professional career

Scouts regarded Lincoln as one of the best players eligible for the 2006 draft, and the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him with the fourth overall selection of the first round, with the intention of advancing him through their system quickly.^[5] Lincoln received $2.75 million to sign with the Pirates, and almost immediately encountered injury problems. An oblique strain limited him to 24 innings in 2006, and then he had Tommy John surgery on his right arm in April 2007, which sidelined him for the entire year.^[6] He first experienced elbow pain while pitching in the Florida Instructional League in late 2006^[7], and then the pain recurred in spring training in 2007^[7], leading to the discovery of the injury and the subsequent operation, performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.^[7] Lincoln returned with the class A Hickory Crawdads in 2008, and was promoted to the advanced class A Lynchburg Hillcats at midseason. He is expected to compete for a spot in the starting rotation for the class AA Altoona Curve in 2009.^[8] In June of the 2009 season, Lincoln was promoted to the Pirates AAA Affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Anderson, Shelly. "Pirates sign 1st-round pick Lincoln", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 22, 2006.
^ ^a ^b "Pirates' first-round pick earns award", The Associated Press, July 5, 2006.
^ "Houston pitcher Lincoln wins Howser Trophy", The Associated Press, June 17, 2006.
^ "UNC's Miller wins Roger Clemens Award", The Associated Press, July 13, 2006.
^ Rutter, Joe. "Pirates want top pick on fast track", The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 7, 2006.
^ Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2008, Ed. Jim Callis, Will Lingo, and John Manuel. Baseball America Inc.: Durham, NC, p. 355. ISBN 1932391193
^ ^a ^b ^c Kovacevic, Dejan. "Pirates Notebook: Lincoln has major elbow surgery", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 2007.
^ Kovacevic, Dejan. "Hot Stove: Pirates set to push Alvarez", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 21, 2008.

[anderson-0] Anderson, Shelly. "Pirates sign 1st-round pick Lincoln", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 22, 2006.

[wallace-1] "Pirates' first-round pick earns award", The Associated Press, July 5, 2006.

[howser-2] "Houston pitcher Lincoln wins Howser Trophy", The Associated Press, June 17, 2006.

[clemens-3] "UNC's Miller wins Roger Clemens Award", The Associated Press, July 13, 2006.

[rutter-4] Rutter, Joe. "Pirates want top pick on fast track", The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 7, 2006.

[BA2008-5] Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2008, Ed. Jim Callis, Will Lingo, and John Manuel. Baseball America Inc.: Durham, NC, p. 355. ISBN 1932391193

[andrews-6] Kovacevic, Dejan. "Pirates Notebook: Lincoln has major elbow surgery", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 2007.

[pushAlvarez-7] Kovacevic, Dejan. "Hot Stove: Pirates set to push Alvarez", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 21, 2008.

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